Taking the Temperature of California’s Climate Law

Fran Pavley, California State Senator, Co-Author, AB 32
Cathy Reheis-Boyd, President, Western States Petroleum Association
Dan Sperling, Member, California Air Resources Board

Ten years ago, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed what many consider to be the most important piece of climate legislation in the world. The law, AB 32, created a market for the right to emit carbon pollution; that market is generating billions of dollars in revenue and is now connected to a big chunk of Canada’s economy.

That carbon market has been a hot political issue in California. Fossil fuel companies launched several lawsuits challenging it, but California has prevailed in most court battles. In 2010 petroleum refineries put a measure to suspend AB 32 on the statewide ballot; voters overwhelmingly rejected it after a bipartisan campaign led by former Secretary of State George Shultz and climate advocate Tom Steyer.

Has California’s climate law created new jobs and industries? Or has it been a drag on the economy and raised energy prices? What happens when the law’s clock runs out in 2020? Join us for a lively discussion with AB 32’s co-author, its primary enforcer, and its chief adversary.

September 20, 2016